Toothbrush



June 23, 1942. C q-qgn 2,287,327

TOOTHBRUSH Filed Nov. 12, 1940 a a w 2/ z: j

i m I 22 1 a I I M W M/ Patented June 23, 1942 2,287,327 rooTHBRUsnAdolph Itickenbachen'Los Angeles, Calif. Application November 12, 1940,SerialNo. 365,164

' Claims. '(01. 176) This invention relates to tooth brushes and relatesmore particularly to the class of tooth brushes embodying adjustable andreplaceable brush members or brush heads. A general object of thisinvention is to provide a tooth brush of the class referred to embodyingsimple, practical and very effective means for adjustably and removablymounting the brush head.

Tooth brushes have been introduced having removable brush headssupported for adjustment to selected angular positions with respect tothe handle. The clamp means employed to mount the brush heads on thehandles have been complicated and difficult tooperate, usually embodyingscrew threaded parts which become rusted and clogged with dentifrice sothat they can be operated only with great difliculty. Further, the priorbrush hcad retaining means have extended a substantial distance alongthe handle and have been bulky so that they are liable to strike andinjure the teeth, gums and lips.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tooth brush of thecharacter referred to in which the means for romovably and adjustablysupporting the brush head is easily and quickly operated and does notembody screw threaded parts or the like liable to bind or freeze up.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tooth brush of thecharacter referred to having a brush-head clamping and retaining meanswhich is fully operated or controlled to grip and free the brush head bymerely shifting a sliding member along a shank part of the handle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tooth brush of thecharacter mentioned in which the brush clamping and supporting means iscompact, slender, short and without sharp corners and abrupt shoulders.

A further object of this invention is to provide a tooth brush of theclass referred to in which the brush clamping means is very simple andinexpensive embodying but very few readily formed and assembled parts.

The various objects and features of my invention will be fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of typical preferredforms and applications of the invention, throughout which descriptionreference is made to the accompanying drawing, in, which:

Fig. 1 is an elevation view of the back or upper side of one form ofbrush of the invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the brush shown inFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation view of the outer part of thebrush shown in Fig. 1 with the brush head removed and illustrating thesliding moval.

member in cross section and in the releasing position. Figs. 4 and 5 areenlarged detailed cross sectional views taken as indicated by lines 4-4and 5-5, respectively, on Fig. 3. Fig.6 is a view similar to Fig; 1illustrating another form of the invention and Fig. '7 is a view similarto Fig. 1 showing still another form of the invention.

The tooth brush of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive,may be said to comprise, generally, a handle lll,-a brush head II, andmeans l2 on the handle Ill for removably and adjustably carrying thebrush head II.

The handle ll] is preferably an' elongate member shaped and proportionedto be conveniently held and manipulated. In the particular caseillustrated the handle It] has substantially flat upper and lowersurfaces, rounded edges, a curved outer end and a normal orsubstantially straight forward. end. 'The handle I0 may be formed of anyselected material such as a thermo-plastic material, Bakelite, ivory,bone, or the like. It will be observed that the handle [0 need not be ofspecial formation to carry the means l2 or the brush head H.

The brush member or brush head includes a suitable rigid backing 13 inwhich the brush bristles M are set and a clip l5 secured on the backing13. The clip, [5 has an upstanding stud or stem l6. The stem I5 is roundin transverse cross section. and its periphery or outer surface mayslope upwardly and outwardly to some extent. The clip l5 rounds orcurves up to the base of the stem [6. The present invention is notprimarily concerned with the brush head ll per se and the brush head maybe varied in construction without departing from the invention.

The means I2 is a feature of the invention and serves to mount the brushhead II on the forward endof the handle [0 for ready adjustment toselected angular positions and for easy re- The means l2 includes anelongate part extending forwardly from the handle I!) which I will terma shank member ll. The shank member I! may be considerably thinner thanthe brush handle l0 and-its side edges converge outwardly or forwardlyso that the major portion of the member is considerably narrower thanthe handle Ill. The member I1 is suitably fixed to the handle I9. Inpractice the inner or rear part of the member I! may be cast or embeddeddirectly in the material of the handle I0, although if desired, themember ll may be'pinned, riveted, cemented or screwed in the handle.

The outer or forward end of the member I! is provided with anenlargement in the form of a loop or eye it. The opening I!) of the eyeI8 is adapted to receive the stem l6 of the brush head I. The wall ofthe eye I8 is substantially cylindrical in cross section, that is, theouter edges of the eye l8 are rounded off and the wall of the opening I8is convex or rounded. With this formation the eye |8 conforms to andeffectively engages about the stem l5 and is devoid of sharp edges andcorners which might injure or irritate the mouth. The shank member I1 isformed of a flexible resilient material such as steel or other metalwhich possesses the required strength, although it is contemplated thatthe member |1 may be formed of a thermo-plastic material, or the like.

The shank member I! is formed so that the eye l8 may be contracted andexpanded at will to grip and free the brush stem l5. The member H isslotted to facilitate the expansion and contraction of the eye |8 beingprovided with a longitudinal elongate opening or slot 20. The slot 20joins the opening IQ of the eye I8 and extends inwardly or rearwardlyfrom the eye for a substantial distance. In practice the slot 20 mayextend rearwardly to immediately adjacent the forward end of the handleIll. The portion of the slot 20 which merges with the eye opening I9 ispreferably reduced in width so that it interrupts the eye l8 to aminimum extent. The slot 20 is of substantial width and its side wallsconverge outwardly or toward the eye l8. The shank member |1 having theslot 2!] extending throughout the major or substantial portion of itslength has two spaced side parts or arms 2| and 22 joined with the eyeI3. One of these arms, say the arm 2|, is cut through or interrupted toincrease the flexibility of the eye 8. A transverse cut 23 is made inthe arm 2| at a point adjacent to but spaced from the rear end of theslot 25. The cut 23 frees the inner end of the arm 2| from the innerpart of the member l1 and leaves the arm as a projection or lever on theeye |8 which may be acted upon to expand and contract the eye. The cut23 may be a narrow saw cut as illustrated.

The shank member |1 may be manufactured so that the lever arm 2| tendsto spread or flare laterally through its inherent resiliency so that itwould normally have its rear end out of alignment with its stub 2| orthe member Il may be constructed so that the arm 2| tends to remainaligned with its stub 2| either of these formations being successful andoperative. It is to be understood that the member l1 just described maybe an integral or one-piece part, the arms 2| and 22, the eye |8 and thestub 2| being integrally joined.

The means |2 further includes a sliding unit or element for acting onthe arms 2| and 22 to expand and contract the eye l8. This slidingelement includes a clip or slide 24 shiftable along the member [1 and awedge or block 25 carried by the slide 24 and operating in the slot 20.The slide 24 may be a sheet metal member shaped to engage about orsurround the shank member I1 and is in the form of a ring which isflattened or made substantially rectangular to generally conform to themember l1. While the slide 24 generally conforms to the member |1 it haslim ited play or clearance to be readily shiftable. The slide 24 isconstructed to have sufficient strength and rigidity to maintain itsshape and to resist spreading and is formed with smooth surfaces androunded corners and edges.

The wedge or block 25 is carried by or movable with the slide 24 and iswithin the slot 20. The

block 25 may be a substantially square or rectangular member havingsmooth opposite sides for cooperating with the smooth convergent sidewalls of the slot 20. As best illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of thedrawing the block 25 is arranged between the upper and lower parts ofthe slide 24 and .the slide has inturned or downturned lugs 26 at thefront and rear sides of the block. Thus the block 25 is confined by theslide 24 to move with the slide. The block 25 preferabl has limitedclearance or freedom in the slide 24 so that it may cooperate with theoutwardly convergent walls of the slot 2!! without binding, chatteringor looking.

Upon outward movement of the slide 24 the block 25 cooperates with theconvergent walls of the slot 20 to spread or expand the eye l8 and uponinward movement of the slide 24 this action is relieved and the eye I8is compressed or constriated either by the automatic return of the arm2| to a position in alignment with the stub 2 or by the action of theslide 24 on the convergent edges of the arms 2| and 22 or by both ofthese actions. The parts are formed and proportioned so that outwardmovement of the slide 24 to a position such as shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawing expands the eye Hi to such an extent that the stem I5 is freedfor ready removal or drops from the eye and so that rearward movement ofthe slide 24 to a position such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawingcompresses or contracts the eye Hi to such an extent that it firmlygrips the brush stem I6.

The invention preferably includes means for releasably holding the slide24 in the position where the eye I8 is tightly contracted on the brushstem It. The outer edges of the arms 2| and 22 in the vicinity of thecut 23 are shaped to releasably retain the slide 24 in its fullyretracted position so that it holds the eye I8 contracted. Asillustrated in the drawing the arms 2| and 22 have flat substantiallyparallel surfaces 21 adjacent their inner ends for releasably retainingthe slide 24, it being understood that these surfaces 21 may be madeslightly convergent in a rearward direction if desired. It will beobserved that when the slide 24 is engaged on the surfaces 21 that itcovers and conceals the cut 23. Further, when the slide 24 is engaged onthe surfaces 21 it lies immediately adjacent the end of the handle I5leaving the arms 2| and 22 clear and the slide is protected by the endof the thicker handle Ill so that it is not liable to be accidentlydisplaced.

It is believed that the operation of the brush shown in Figs. 1 to 5,inclusive, will be readily apparent from the foregoing detaileddescription. When the brush head I is to be installed the slide 24 isshifted outwardly on the member H to a position such as shown in Fig. 3.This results in expansion of the eye I8 and the brush stem l6 may bereadily inserted in the eye. With the stem l6 engaged in the eye IS theslide 24 is shifted rearwardly. Prior to or during this operation thebrush head may be set or adjusted in any selected angular position. Theslide 24 is shifted rearwardly until it engages on the surfaces 21,which serve to releasably hold it in place. With the slide 24 engaged onthe surfaces 21 the eye I8 is tightly contracted on the stem IE tosecurely retain the brush head M. It will be observed that the eye I 8substantially completely surrounds the stem IE to have full bearingthereon when the eye is tightened. If, at any time during the use of thebrush, it is desired to change the setting or adjustment of the head IIthe head II is merely shifted or turned to the selected new position.There is sufficient resiliency and flexibility in the member I! to allowthe stem I6 to be turned in the eye I8 for such adjustment withoutnecessitating movement of the slide 24. When the brush head II is to bereplaced the slide 24 is shifted outwardly on the member IT to expandthe eye I8. This frees the stem I6 and permits easy removal of the brushhead II. A new or replacement brush head I I may then be installed andthe slide 24 returned to its position on the surfaces 2'! to secure thenew brush head in position.

Fig. 6 of the drawing illustrates a somewhat simplified form of theinvention. In this construction the tooth brush comprises, generally,the handle I 0, the brush head II, both as described above, and means I2for adjustably and removably mounting the brush head II on the handleIll. The means I2 includes a tapering shank member I'I of substantiallythe same construction as the above described member II. The member IIhas an eye I8 and an elongate slot 20 which correspond to the abovedescribed eye I8 and slot 2!], respectively. In this construction theinner part or rear part of the slot ZII may be reduced in width. Alateral cut 23 corresponding to the above described cut 23, is providedin the arm 2| of the member I! to render a the member I I mor flexible.The arm 2 I constitutes a lever projecting from the eye I8 and normallytending to spread or flare laterally.

The means I2 further includes a slide 2 I shiftable longitudinally onthe member H slide 24 may be a simple ring-like member surrounding orengaged about the member Il The slide 24 may be generally rectangular tosubstantially conform to the member I'I and has smooth rounded outersurfaces. faces of the slide 24 are preferably flat to ride on thesurfaces of the member Il Means is provided for releasably holding orlatching the slide 2 in the active position where it holds the eye Itcontracted on the brush stem I6. A tapered or sloping surface 30 isprovided on the rear corner of the arm 2H at the cut 23 to leave adepression or notch when the arm II is forced to its retracted position.The slide 24 engages with this surface 30 and is held thereby. When theslide Z I is shifted rearwardly to engage with the surface 30 it coversand conceals the cut 23 and retains the arm 2| in the retracted positionwhere the eye I8 is tightly gripped about the stem I5. When the slide 24is shifted outwardly on the member H the arm 2I springs outwardly andthe eye I8 expands to loosen or release the brush stem I6.

The form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 7 of the drawing comprisesthe handle I0 and a member I'I for mounting or supporting the brush headII. The handle It] may be as described above and the member I'I mayresemble generally the above described member II. The member I'I isprovided at its outer end with an expansible and contractible eye I8 anda longitudinal slot 2|) extends rearwardly in the member from the eye I8to adjacent the end of the handle II]. An enlargement or opening 3| maybe provided at the rear end of the slot In this construction the arms orside parts of the member II are uncut and are continuous. The eye III isadapted to receive the brush stem I6. When the brush head I I is to beinstalled a suitable tool or implement such as a screw driver,

The inner surknife, or the like, is entered in the slot 26* and isturned or manipulated to exert a spreading force on the arms or sideparts of the member IT". This spreads or enlarges the eye I8 and allowseasy insertion of the stem I6. Upon withdrawal of the spreading tool theresiliency of the member I'I causes the eye I8 to tightly grip the brushstem I6. When the brush head II is to be adjusted or removed thespreading tool is again inserted in the slot 20 and operated to spreador flex the side parts of the member Il to free the eye I8 from the stemI6.

Having described typical preferred forms and applications of myinvention, I do not wish to be limited or restricted to the specificdetails herein set forth, but wish to reserve to myself any variationsor modifications that may appear to those skilled in the art or fallwithin the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member secured to the handle body to extendforwardly therefrom and provided at its forward end with an eye forreceiving the stud, the member having forwardly convergent edges, and asliding element movable along the member and cooperable with said edgesto contract the eye onto the stud.

2. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member rigid with the handle body to extendforwardly therefrom and provided at its forward end with an eye forreceiving the stud, the member having convergent longitudinal surfacesand having a longitudinal slot leading rearwardl from the eye to makethe eye expansible and contractible, and a slide shiftable along themember and acting on said surfaces to cause contraction and allowexpansion of the eye. I

3. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member secured to' the-handle body to extendforwardly therefrom and provided at its forward end with an eye forreceiving the stud, the member having forwardly converging edge surfacesand a longitudinal slot extending rearwardly from the eye which makesthe eye expansible and contractible and which provides the member withspaced side arms, there being a cut through one of said arms joining therear portion of the slot so that said arm forms a lever part on the eye,and a slide shiftable along the member to cooperate with said surfacesand to cause inward and outward movement of said arm and resultantexpansion and contraction of the eye.

4. Handle means for a tooth brush head having a mounting stud comprisinga handle body, a member secured to the handle body to extend from theforward end thereof and provided at its forward end with an opening forreceiving the stud, the member having forwardly convergent surfaces andhaving a slot extending rearwardly from the opening whereby the openingmay be expanded and contracted, the slot dividing the member into' twolongitudinal arms, one of said arms having a transverse out which joinsthe rear part of the slot and which frees said arm for inward andoutward flexure to contract and expand the opening so that the stud maybe gripped or freed at will, a manually'movable element cooperating withsaid surfaces for producing said inward and outward flexing of the arm,and means for releasably holding the element in the position where thestud is tightly gripped in the opening including surfaces on the memberof difierent disposition than the first named surfaces and engageable bythe element to retain the element in said position.

5. Handle means for a tooth brush head having a mounting stud comprisinga handle body, a member secured to the handle body to extend from theforward end thereof and provided at its forward end with an opening forreceiving the stud and having a slot extending rearwardly from theopening whereby the opening may be expanded and contracted, the slotdividing the member into two longitudinal arms, one of said arms havinga transverse cut which joins the rear part of the slot and which freessaid arm for inward and outward flexure to contract and expand theopening so that the stud may be gripped or freed at will, a slidemovable along the member and operable upon rearward movement to flexsaid arm inwardly, and a part movable with the slide and engaging in theslot to flex said arm outwardly upon forward movement of the slide.

6. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member rigid with the handle body andextending forwardly therefrom, the member having an eye in its outer endfor receiving the stud and a slot extending rearwardly from the eye torender the eye expansible and contractible so that it adjustably andremovably holds the stud, a slide shiftable along the member andoperable by rearward movement to contract the eye, and a part on theslide engaging in the slot to expand the eye when the slide is shiftedforwardly.

7. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member rigid with the handle body andextending forwardly therefrom, the member having an eye in its outer endfor receiving the stud and a slot extending rearwardly from the eye torender the eye expansible and contractible so that it adjustably andremovably holds the stud, the slot having forwardly convergent sidewalls, and a part movable in the slot and cooperable with said wallsduring forward movement to expand the eye.

8. A tooth brush handle means for a brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member rigid with the handle body andextending forwardly therefrom, the member having an eye in its outer endfor receiving the stud and a slot extending rearwardly from the eye torender the eye expansible and contractible so that it adjustably andremovably holds the stud, the slot having forwardly convergent sidewalls, a part movable in the slot and cooperating with said walls duringforward movement to expand the eye, and a slide carrying said part andshiftable along the member, the slide contracting the eye during itsrearward movement.

9. Handle means for a tooth brush head having a mounting stud comprisinga handle body, a member secured to the handle body to extend from theforward end thereof and provided at its forward end with an opening forreceiving the stud and having a slot extending rearwardly from theopening whereby the opening may be expanded and contracted, the slotdividing the member into two longitudinal arms, one of said arms havinga transverse out which joins the rear part of the slot and which freessaid arm for inward and outward fiexure to contract and expand theopening so that the stud may be gripped or freed at will, the slothaving forwardly convergent Walls and the member having forwardlyconvergent side surfaces, a part shiftable in the slot and engaging saidwalls during its forward movement to flex said arm outward and to expandthe opening, and a slide shiftably engaged on the member and cooperatingwith said surfaces to flex said arm inwardly and contract said openingduring its rearward movement.

10. Handle means for a tooth brush head having a mounting studcomprising a handle body, a member secured to the handle body to extendfrom the forward end thereof and provided at its forward end with anopening for receiving the stud and having a slot extending rearwardlyfrom the opening whereby the opening may be expanded and contracted, theslot dividing the member into two longitudinal arms, one of said armshaving a transverse out which joins the rear part of the slot and whichfrees said arm for inward and outward flexure to' contract and expandthe opening so that the stud may be gripped or freed at will, the slothaving forwardly convergent Walls and the member having forwardlyconvergent side surfaces, a part shiftable in the slot and engaging saidwalls during its forward movement to flex said arm outward and to expandthe opening, a slide shiftably engaged on the member and cooperatingwith said surfaces to flex said arm inwardly and contract said openingduring its rearward movement, the slide carrying said part, and meansfor releasably holding the slide in a rearward position where theopening is contracted.

ADOLPI-I RICKENBACHER.

